Beet harvester



Nov. 18,- 1930.

o. M. MCGUIRE BEET- HARVESTER Filed April 5. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IM III INVENTOR 0.. Gil/737 6 Nov. 18, 1930. 0, McGUlRE 1,781,952

BEET HARVESTER 7 Filed April 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NTOR 0/ fi B Patented Nov. 18, 1930 r SM- I UIREQEP EIP M B A inner 'rmavnsr 1m .7 V

I Application fild a jrii 5 The invention relates to beetharvesters and has :for its objectto provideafdevice-of this character wherein digging elements jen-"f' gage under the beets and disohargethe same] 1 onto anupwardlyand rearwardly extending "conveyor with their tops 'rearwardly disposed, severing means at the rearvend of fthe conveyor "and setin motion by the beets whereby their tops 1 are severed and, dis

charged rearwardlyf of the machine and. 'means actuated by the severing mechanism. for discharging the topped beets to the side;

oftheconveyor 1nto areceptacle;

A' further object is .to provide] driving 15, connections between the ground engaging wheels and the mechanisms whereby the en tire-device can be drivenand operated fromj a single source. v

A. urther object is to plvotallyimonnt the severing mechanism frame at the rear of the conveyor, and position the same in relation to conveyorwhereby the tops of beets will pass between the rollers of the severing mechanism and the momentum of thebeets engaging the rollers will pivotally move the sei ering mechanism against spring action into driving connection with a constantly driven gear.

Y A further obj ect is to provide the severing mechanism with endless sprocket chains} having connecting blades horizontally and transversely disposed and which .bladesmove I downwardly for severing the topsft'rom the beetsran-d beet discharging'means controlled tion for discharging the severed beet transversely from the upper end of the conveyor.

A further object is to providea beet-discharging mechanism comprising a trans-- versely disposed rack having a depending beet engaging member adjacent thesl'everi'ng mechanism, spring means for maintaining the beet engaging member to one side ofthe conveyor and cooperating with the rack, a rock shaft, gear and shaft connections between the rock shaft and the rack bar and an arm carried by the rock shaft, in the path. of the pintle's of the severing knives whereby after a beet top severing operation, the sev- 5 ered ,beet will he transversely discharged rear endof theelevating conveyor.

by therknives after the top "severing opera 192a; s r i'a m. 267,642..

from-the conveyor by-the heet'iengagi f1 8 member. Y

.'With the above and otherobjects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as v hereinafter set" forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, -itbeing understood that changes in the precise embodiment. of. the invention mW- be made within th iscopesojf ti V claimed'without departingffrom the spirit] of the invention), A

In thedrawings Figure l is harvester. e e I v Figure 2* is a sidelelevation of-the beet harvester, parts being. broken away to better showthe structure'.f

Figure 3 is aside elevation of the-severing mechanism, showing the driving mechanism therefor. H v j P 2 Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the machine.

a top planvi w f th Figure '5 is an enlarged front elevation of the severing mechanism.

Figure 6 is an enlarged front elevation of the severing knives and sprocket chains.

View through the severing mechanism and the Y Figure 8 is a perspective view of the beet; discharging mechanism.

Referring to the drawings designates the frameof the harvester, which frame is providedwith a transversely disposed rotatable aXle 2, on which is mounted to rotate therewitha sprocketB. Disposed 7L Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal sectional Y thenruneral'I I below the frame 1 and supportedby the bracketA are spaced digging elements 5,

which are shaiied' and positioned whereby they will'engage underthe beet 6 when in the ground, force the sameupwardly and rearwardly with its top 7 rearwardly dis posedon the endless elevating conveyor 8' within] the conveyor tr0ughfl9, as clearly shown in FigureflQ'so that it w'ill'be elevated in thisparticnlarrelation towards the top e11dles's fconveyor 8 hasithe pintle 10 of. its upper roller provided with'a 'gearlll which 7 sprocket l3, and mounted on the stub shaft 14f ping mechanism hereinafter set forth i The i on the side of the trough 9. Extending over the sprocket 13 and the sprocket 3 of the rotatable axle 2 is a sprocket chain 15, therefore it will be seen that when the ground engaging wheels 16 roll over the ground, as the machine advances, the endless conveyor 8 will be operated for elevating the beets.

themachine is provided with a sprocket'17 and extending around said, sprocket and around a sprocket18 is a sprocket'chain 19,

and which sprocket 18 is mountedonthe transverse shaft 20, the outer end of which is provided with a gear 21, therefore it will be seen that as the machine advances the gear '21 is constantly rotated in the direction of thearrow a shown in Figure 3. The

shaft 20 is supported in'the upwardly extend- ,ing bracket plate 22 andremains constant in relation to adjacent mechanism at all times.

Pivotally connected to brackets 23 car ried by the under side of the frame 1 is a cutter mechanism frame '24, which is adapted to'swing backwardly and forwardly and is preferably provided with a counterweight 25, and with acoiled spring 26 connected thereto and to a. bracket 27] fornormally maintaining the cutter frame in forward inv operative position. as shown in Figure3and out of engagement with the drive gear 21..

Rotatably mounted within the frame 24 are beet top gripping rollers 28'and 28 which rollers rotate in opposite. direction incident to their crossed belt connection 28 'at one end'thereof, and which crossed belt connection extends through channels 28 in the rollers 28 and 28 as shown in Figure 7. It will be seen that as the upper roller-28 rotates in the direction of the arrow 5, the lower roller 28*, which isrotatably mounted on the shaft 28, will rotate in an opposite directionfor the beet top gripping operation. If so desired sprocket 29 or roller 28 or both said sprocket and roller may be loosely or idly mounted on shaft 28 Connected to the upper roller 28 and rotatable therewith is a sprocket 29, and rotatable on the shaft 28 independent of the roller 28 is a sprocket.

29 overwhich the endless sprocket chains 30 extend. The rollers 28 and 28 are disposed adjacent the upper end of the endless conveyor 8 where they will be engaged by the beet 6 as it is projected or forced rearwardly by the endless conveyor with the tops between the rollers and the momentum of the rearwardly projected beet rocks the cutter frame 24 on its pivotal point against the action of the spring 26, and throws the drive gear 31 carried by the upper roller 28 into mesh with the drive gear 21 which constantly rotates in the direction of the arrow a, therefore it will be seen that the rollers 28 and 28" v will be simultaneously rotated by their crossed belt connection 28 for the beet top gripping operation and for imparting move- Rigidly connected in any suitable manner; to opposite links of the-sprocket chains '30 arethe pintles 31 of cutter blades 32, which i have their cutting edges downwardly dis- The roller pintle 10 at the opposite side of posedon' the sides of the rollers adjacent the "conveyor, therefore itwill beseen that as the cutter blades 32 move downwardly they will 26'again pulls the frame 24 forwardly for moving the pivoted rframe 24 to a position .where the gears 31 and 21 will be out ofmesh.

Afterthe top 7 is severed frornthe best, it

is discharged rearwardly by the rollers 28 on the ground to the rear of the machine, however it is obvious the beet, after the topping operation, will 'h'ave'to be removed fromthe upper. end of the endless conveyor. Thebeets'are discharged to the side of thetrough 9 into a receptacle 33 by means of a transversely movablejdepending plate 34 carried by the slidable rack bar 35 slid ably mounted in bearings of thefbrackets'22 as shown in Figure 8, and which plate34 moves in the direction of the arrow 0, Figure 8itransversely across the upper end of the conveyor 8 againstthe action of the coiled spring 36. 'Rot'atably mounted in brackets 37 at the'side' of the machine is a'substantial- I lyvertically disposed-shaft 38, the lower end of which is provided with a bevelled gear'39 which meshes with a bevelled. gear 40 carried by a rock shaft 41, the inner end of which is provided with an arm 42, which extends into the path of the pintles 31 0f the'cutter blades 32 at one side of said blades, there'- fore it will be seen that as the cutter blades 32 complete the severing operation they will impart a partial rotation to the vertically disposed shaft 38, thereby. rocking the' gear segment 43 which meshes with the rack bar 35, consequently moving the rack bar'and beet discharging member 34 transversely.

From the above it will be seen that a beet harvesting machineis provided wherein the beets are elevated, the tops passed bet-ween rollers, severed from the beets and the beets automatically moved transversely from the conve or and dischar ed into a ho er at the'side of the machine, and the beet tops will be deposited on the ground to therear of the machine. It will also be seen that all of the mechanism is operated from a single source, that is from theground engaging wheels, thereby obviating the sources of power j v The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and usefulis: v

1. The combination with the rear end of a beet harvester conveyor on which beets are carried. with their tops rearwardly disposed, of a topping mechanism, said topping mechause of several too ZZZ

iio

mg said conveyor at a speed whereby the topnism comprising a constantly driven gear, a

pivoted frame adjacent said gear, top gripping rollers carried by said pivoted frame, sprockets at opposite ends ofthe rollers, the

sprockets atthe ends of one of the rollers rotating therewith, the othersprockets being idly mounted, a drive gear carried by one of said rollers, sprocket chains extending over said sprockets, severing knlves carr ed by the sprocket chains and means for drlvping mechanism will be pivotally moved incident to the momentum of the beets projected against the same whereby the roller carried gear will be moved into mesh with the constantly driven gear for imparting movement to the knives and simultanenously ro-' tating the rollers for gripping beet tops.

2. The combination with a beet harvesting machine endlessconveyor, of a pivoted topping mechanism adjacent said conveyor, a constantly driven gear adjacent the topping mechanism, means for normally maintaining the topping mechanism out of driving connection with the constantlyrotated gear, said conveyor forming means whereby beets are pro ected agalnst the topp ng mechanism for pivotally moving the same and forcing the topping mechanism into driving connection.

with the constantly rotated gear.

3. The combination with the rear discharge end of a beet harvesting machine conveyor, of

a topping mechanism, said topping mecha- I11SII1 comprising a plvoted frame, spaced top gripping rollers rotatably mounted in said frame, driving connections betweensaid rollers, whereby they will rotate in opposite directions, sprockets at opposite ends of the rollers, the sprockets at the ends of one of the rollers rotating therewith, endless sprocket chains extending over said sprockets at opposite ends of the rollers, transverse knives carried by said sprocket chains, a constantly rotated gear rearwardly ofthe frame, a gear carried by one of the gripping rollers in the path of the constantly rotated gear, spring means for normally maintaining said gears out of mesh, said pivoted frame being pivotal-v ets at the ends of the rollers, the sprockets at the ends of one of the rollers being rotatable with said roller, endless sprocket chains extending over said sprockets, transverse knives connecting the sprocket chains, means forintermittently operating the topping mechanism, of means for discharging beets transversely from the conveyor, said means being controlled by the knives. r

of a beet harvesting conveyor, a topping '5. The combination with the discharge end mechanism adjacent said discharge end, said topping mechanism comprising spacedrollers, drive connection between the rollers;

whereby'they will rotate in opposite direction, sprockets at the ends of the rollers, the sprockets at the ends of one of the rollers being ro-' tatable with said roller, endless sprocket chains extending over said sprockets, transverse knives connecting the sprocket chains, means for intermittently operating the topping mechanism, of means fordischargin beets transversely from the conveyor, sai

means comprising a transversely disposed slidable rack bar, a depending beet engaging member carried by the rack bar and normally disposed to oneside of-the conveyor, a gear.

meshing with said rack bar and means controlled by the knives and cooperating with the gear whereby after a beet top severingoperation said bar will belongitudinally moved.

6. The combination with the discharge end i of a beet harvester, a beet topping mechanism ad acent said discharge end and having'trans 1 versely disposed movable knives; of means for discharging beets to the side of the conveyor,

said means comprising a transversely dis-j posed rack bar slidably mounted, adepending 1 beet engaging member carried by the rack bar adjacent one side of the conveyor, spring means for maintaining the rack bar and beet I engaging member in inoperative position, a gear meshing with the rack bar, a shafton which said gear is mounted, a rockshaft, gear connections between the rock shaft and the first mentioned shaft and an arm carried by 1 the rock shaft in the'path of the knives.

7 The combination with the dischargeend of abeet harvester and topper conveyor, a topping mechanism adjacent the end of said conveyor, of a transversely movable beet engaging member above the conveyor, knives carried by the topping mechanism and down- V wardly movable for severing tops from beets,

of means for moving the beet engaging mem ber transversely, said means being controlled bythe knives and spring means for returning the beet engaging member to initial position to one side of the conveyor.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. 1

' OTTIS M. MCGUIRE. 

